A union is setting up a register to see if people could claim compensation
People who have certain jobs could be at higher risk of blader cancer – and could have a case for a personal injury claim.
A leading trade union has set up a bladder cancer register as it declared too many people develop the condition for simply doing their job. The GMB said the aim is to identify members who have developed the disease in the last three years.
The union said research suggests 6% of bladder cancer cases are caused by exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in the workplace. It is launching the register in a bid to understand how many of its members are affected due to workplace exposure and assess whether they have a personal injury claim.
A wide range of professions are at risk, the union said, including healthcare workers, drivers, cleaners, painter/decorators, hairdressers, food preparation workers, and people working in manufacturing.
Peter Hall, the union’s senior officer for health and safety, said at the GMB’s annual conference in Brighton: “GMB has long been involved in raising awareness about the link between workplace exposures and bladder cancer.”
There are 10,500 new cases of bladder cancer detected in the UK each year – about 29 every day, according to Cancer Research UK. It is the seventh most common cancer in men and 17th most common in women.
Each year, 5,600 people die from bladder cancer, making it the ninth leading cause of cancer death.
Symptoms to watch for include blood in the urine., Your urine may be bright red, pink, or occasionally cola-brown urine and may be intermittent and painless.
Other symptoms of bladder cancer include needing to pass urine very often (frequency), sudden urges (urgency), or a burning/stinging sensation when passing urine (dysuria). You could also have pelvic or lower-back pain, bone pain, swollen legs, or unintentional weight loss.
Bladder cancers discovered while still confined to the bladder lining (non-muscle-invasive) have much higher cure rates than those diagnosed after invasion or spread. Early investigation — typically a urine test, ultrasound or CT scan, and a cystoscopy — allows for timely treatment ranging from endoscopic removal to intravesical therapy.
Smoking accounts for about 45% of UK cases; other avoidable occupational exposures (e.g., certain dyes, rubber or metalworking fumes) explain a further 6%. Ageing, chronic bladder inflammation, pelvic radiotherapy, and some rare genetic syndromes also raise risk